Why Mentor
Imagine that you are an adolescent who is homeless and don’t know anyone who has gone to college, but you still dream about obtaining a degree. Or perhaps your parents are in prison, yet you hope to create your own path for success. Maybe you are a recent immigrant and would love to build a future for yourself, but none of your family or friends have graduated from high school. These are all scenarios of Take Stock in Children Scholars in Hillsborough County.
While scholarship funds help to make the college dreams of low-income, at-risk Scholars into a reality, many students still lack the support, guidance, advice, experience and understanding needed for college readiness and success. A mentor serves an important role of motivation and accountability. Mentors show students the pathway of education and success that they may not otherwise see.
A report by the National Mentoring Partnership and AT&T (January 2014) showed that
- At-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to aspire to enroll in and graduate from college than those who did not have a mentor (76 percent versus 56 percent).
- At-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to be enrolled in college than those who did not have a mentor (45 percent versus 29 percent).
- At-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to report participating regularly in sports or extracurricular activities than those who did not have a mentor (67 percent versus 37 percent).
- At-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to hold a leadership position in a club, sports team, school council, or another group than those who did not have a mentor (51 percent versus 22).
- At-risk young adults who had a mentor are more likely to volunteer regularly in their communities than those who did not have a mentor (48 percent versus 27).
Additionally, a 2011 OPPAGA (Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability) Mentoring Study found that students in Take Stock in Children outperformed their peers in seven different categories:
2011 OPPAGA Mentoring Study Results
Take Stock in Children students outperformed their peers
|
|
PERCENTAGE |
||
|
Performance Category |
Take Stock in Children |
Comparison Group |
Statistically Significant (95%) |
|
Chronic Absences (21 or more days) |
11% |
13% |
Yes |
|
Discipline Incidents |
15% |
23% |
Yes |
|
Reading at Grade Level (FCAT) |
56% |
49% |
Yes |
|
Performing Math at Grade Level (FCAT) |
86% |
76% |
Yes |
|
Grade Promotion |
97% |
91% |
Yes |
|
High School Completion |
94% |
71% |
Yes |
|
Higher Education Participation |
69% |
45% |
Yes |
Mentoring not only has a positive impact on the Scholar, but most Mentors agree that the experience is just as rewarding for them. Here are what some current Mentors have to say about why they mentor:
Mentoring allows me the opportunity to facilitate my mentee's growth and assist them in creating new paths for their lives. There is nothing more powerful than being able to assist a teenager in broadening their perspectives and perceptions.
- Ernestine Woody-Bethune, Mentor since 2008
I mentor because being part of the solution is better than being part of the problem.
- Ross Anderson, Mentor since 2013
I mentor because I think it is important for children to know that there is someone out there that has their best interest and wants to see them succeed, especially if they may not be getting that support and positive advice at home.
- Tanja Vidovic, Mentor since 2013
